So you have a carton of eggs in the fridge that are almost past their sell-by date. You can’t remember when you got them from the grocery store and you’re wondering if they’re still fresh enough to use in your simple omelet or fluffy scramble or even that batch of cookies. Fear not there’s a simple trick to tell if your eggs are past their prime — and all you need is a glass of water and of course an egg.
| Channel | Publish Date | Thumbnail & View Count | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
 Good Food | 2014-05-27 09:58:13 |  1,828,371 Views |
How to Tell if an Egg is Fresh – Delia's How to Cook – BBC Food
This method known as the float test or the egg float test has been used for centuries — since the Middle Ages in fact. Over the centuries the egg float trick has ebbed and flowed in and out of popularity. Recently it’s gained popularity on social media platforms like TikTok with many creators sharing the trick with their followers. And it’s easy to see why. The trick is simple and delivers immediate results.
To try this test simply fill your glass about 1/2 to ⅔ full and gently drop your egg into the glass. If it floats that’s a sign that it’s older. If it sinks and lies flat it’s fresh. And if it sinks to the bottom but tips over it’s less fresh than an egg that’s lying on its side. So why does this trick work? Well as eggs age the air pocket that sits at the wide base of the egg between the white and the shell gets bigger. As the air pocket gets bigger the egg becomes more buoyant and therefore more likely to float.
While this simple test is a good indication of egg freshness it should be noted that this is not a good way to test whether your egg has gone bad. However this test can be useful especially if you are using your eggs for a dish that requires fresh eggs such as poached eggs. However if you want to check whether your eggs are safe to eat there are a few key signs of spoilage that you should look for. If your egg has an off odor or is an unusual color this is a clear sign that it has gone bad. Additionally a pink or pearly white for example is an indicator that your egg has gone bad and is infected with Pseudomonas bacteria.
